The Wisconsin Scenic Byways are a system consisting of roads in the U.S. state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

that travel through areas of scenic and historic interest. The intent of this system is to promote tourism and raise awareness of the communities along these routes. Wisconsin also has another system of scenic highways called Rustic Roads. There are five state-recognized scenic byways in Wisconsin, and three of them have also been designated

National Scenic Byways A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...

History

Byways

Door County Coastal Byway

The Door County Coastal Byway is a loop beginning and ending at the intersection of WIS 42 and WIS 57 by

Sturgeon Bay Sturgeon Bay is an arm of Green Bay extending southeastward approximately 10 miles into the Door Peninsula at the city of Sturgeon Bay, located approximately halfway up the Door Peninsula. The bay is connected to Lake Michigan by the Sturge ...

. The loop follows WIS 42 and WIS 57 along the coasts of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

and Green Bay in Door County. Highlights include orchards, vineyards, and forests. Visitor attractions include shopping, several lighthouses, three state parks (

Peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

, Newport, and Whitefish Dunes), and 10 county parks. Natural highlights includes vistas from the

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and into Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff over ...

and shores of Lake Michigan or Green Bay. The Ridges Sanctuary, a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

, is located near WIS 57 by

Baileys Harbor The Town of Baileys Harbor is located in Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,003 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Peninsula Center is located in the town. The census-designated place of Baileys Har ...

. ''Country'' magazine named the byway on their Top 10 Best Scenic Roads list in 2013. In February 2021, the byway was designated as a National Scenic Byway.

Lower Wisconsin River Road

The Lower Wisconsin River Road is a segment along WIS 60. Highlights of the route include

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

's buildings

Taliesin Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the '' Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to have sung at the courts ...

(his summer home) and

House on the Rock The House on the Rock is a tourist attraction located between the cities of Dodgeville and Spring Green, Wisconsin. Opened in 1959, it is a complex of architecturally distinct rooms, streets, gardens, and shops designed by Alex Jordan Jr. ...

along with several battlefields for the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

Nicolet–Wolf River Scenic Byway

The Nicolet–Wolf River Scenic Byway is a byway connecting the

Nicolet National Forest Nicollet or Nicolet may refer to: Canada *Nicolet, Quebec, the county seat of Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality *Nicolet River, Quebec, Canada People *Aurèle Nicolet (1926–2016), Swiss flautist *Hercule Nicolet (1801–1872), Swiss ...

with the Wolf River, a National Scenic River in

Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

, Langlade,

Oneida Oneida may refer to: Native American/First Nations * Oneida people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy * Oneida language * Oneida Indian Nation, based in New York * Oneida Na ...

and Vilas counties. It follows WIS 55,

WIS 32 State Trunk Highway 32 (often called Highway 32, STH-32 or WIS 32) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin that runs north–south in eastern Wisconsin. It runs from the Illinois border (at Illinois Route 137) north to the Michigan bord ...

, WIS 52 and WIS 70.

Wisconsin Great River Road

The Wisconsin Great River Road consists of of highway along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

on the

Great River Road The Great River Road is a collection of state and local roads that follow the course of the Mississippi River through ten states of the United States. They are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Miss ...

. It is the only All American Road designated in the state.

Wisconsin Lake Superior Byway

The Wisconsin Lake Superior Byway is a segment of WIS 13 and the

Lake Superior Circle Tour The Great Lakes Circle Tour is a designated scenic road system connecting all of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. It consists of routes for circumnavigating the lakes, either individually or collectively. It was designated by the Grea ...

near the coast of

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

through fishing towns. Highlights include the

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a U.S. national lakeshore consisting of 21 islands (Apostle Islands) and shoreline encompassing on the northern tip of Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Superior. It is known for its collection of historic ...

and the

Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa () is a band of Ojibwe Native Americans. The Red Cliff Band is located on the Red Cliff Indian Reservation, on Lake Superior in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. Red Cliff, Wisconsin, is the administrative cent ...

reservation. In February 2021, the byway was designated as a National Scenic Byway.

References

External links

Door County Coastal BywayWisconsin Great River RoadWisconsin Lake Superior BywayLower Wisconsin River Road
{{Scenic Byways Wisconsin Scenic Byways